In deep respect for all who have fallen in service to this country, and all countries. And to their families and friends who miss them. May we one day transcend the need for violence to solve problems.
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Showing posts with label misc.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label misc.. Show all posts
Monday, May 26, 2008
Memorial Day
In deep respect for all who have fallen in service to this country, and all countries. And to their families and friends who miss them. May we one day transcend the need for violence to solve problems.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Looking Back at 2007 and Looking Ahead to 2008
Looking Back:
This year seems to have flown by. I don't usually make my yearly review public, but I thought I'd share a brief recap of 2007.
As far as my personal life is concerned, the year can be summed up as a seven day week.
Monday: I fell in love with an amazing woman.
Tuesday: Life was good, and everything seemed bright.
Wednesday: The relationship ended for a variety of complicated reason.
Thursday: Depression.
Friday: Depression lifted and some new perspective dawned.
Saturday: Attended the IFS conference and experienced some profound growth.
Sunday: As the year ends, hope and optimism spring eternal.
As far as IOC is concerned, this has been a great year. The blog rapidly nears 150,000 visitors, about half of those visiting in 2007. Granted, about half of them have come here via Google searches and image searches, but all exposure is good exposure.. These were the most popular posts in the last year, in order (not necessarily posts from this year):
Drugs In Sports
Abusive Guru: Sogyal Rinpoche
Daily Om: As You Believe
Drug Abuse: Ronnie Coleman
Buddhist Audio Chants Available Online
My work life became more sane. I chose in May to begin limiting my work hours as much as possible, to no more than 25 hours a week with clients. At the same time, my writing work began to pick up in late summer, with nearly constant work since then.
I bought a new-to-me car in March, which greatly improved my quality of life in Tucson. Having a car with air conditioning makes all the difference when you live in the desert.
Looking Ahead:
2008 looks like a great year. I'm currently working to secure new writing work, work that will be more steady and reliable. I'm looking forward to the challenge and the flexibility this will provide.
In march, I will be attending the Psychotherapy Networker conference in Washington D.C. Two of the days will be full day sessions with Richard Schwartz, creator of the Internal Family Systems model. I can't express how much I am looking forward to this.
In the fall, I will begin my PhD in clinical psychology at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. It's taken me many years to be ready for this, but I am now, and I am very excited about beginning this new phase in my life.
Hopes:
James at The Buddhist Blog posted this, and I couldn't agree more:
As the new year dawns, I'd to see all of us all resolve to surround ourselves with loving and supportive people, rededicate ourselves to finding the compassionate and peaceful center within each of us, and commit ourselves to making the world a better place, one person at a time, beginning with ourselves.
With that I wish you all a peaceful and happy New year.
This year seems to have flown by. I don't usually make my yearly review public, but I thought I'd share a brief recap of 2007.
As far as my personal life is concerned, the year can be summed up as a seven day week.
Monday: I fell in love with an amazing woman.
Tuesday: Life was good, and everything seemed bright.
Wednesday: The relationship ended for a variety of complicated reason.
Thursday: Depression.
Friday: Depression lifted and some new perspective dawned.
Saturday: Attended the IFS conference and experienced some profound growth.
Sunday: As the year ends, hope and optimism spring eternal.
As far as IOC is concerned, this has been a great year. The blog rapidly nears 150,000 visitors, about half of those visiting in 2007. Granted, about half of them have come here via Google searches and image searches, but all exposure is good exposure.. These were the most popular posts in the last year, in order (not necessarily posts from this year):
Drugs In Sports
Abusive Guru: Sogyal Rinpoche
Daily Om: As You Believe
Drug Abuse: Ronnie Coleman
Buddhist Audio Chants Available Online
My work life became more sane. I chose in May to begin limiting my work hours as much as possible, to no more than 25 hours a week with clients. At the same time, my writing work began to pick up in late summer, with nearly constant work since then.
I bought a new-to-me car in March, which greatly improved my quality of life in Tucson. Having a car with air conditioning makes all the difference when you live in the desert.
Looking Ahead:
2008 looks like a great year. I'm currently working to secure new writing work, work that will be more steady and reliable. I'm looking forward to the challenge and the flexibility this will provide.
In march, I will be attending the Psychotherapy Networker conference in Washington D.C. Two of the days will be full day sessions with Richard Schwartz, creator of the Internal Family Systems model. I can't express how much I am looking forward to this.
In the fall, I will begin my PhD in clinical psychology at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. It's taken me many years to be ready for this, but I am now, and I am very excited about beginning this new phase in my life.
Hopes:
James at The Buddhist Blog posted this, and I couldn't agree more:
May this new year, 2008 bring more peace, tolerance and happiness to people of all religions, philosophies and those who follow no religion. May this new year bring an end to all wars and strife in the world so that harmony will increase amongst all sentient beings. May we rededicate ourselves to our practice so that we will feel more stability and insight into our lives and help us not to be so swept away by our egos.
As the new year dawns, I'd to see all of us all resolve to surround ourselves with loving and supportive people, rededicate ourselves to finding the compassionate and peaceful center within each of us, and commit ourselves to making the world a better place, one person at a time, beginning with ourselves.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it's the only thing that ever has. -- Margaret Mead
With that I wish you all a peaceful and happy New year.
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Sunday, November 04, 2007
Cool Site: MIndBodyGreen
Jason, one of my Zaadz friends, has created MindBodyGreen, a social networking site for people interested in personal growth and Green living.
It's like Digg for the Lohas crowd. Check it out. A lot of the of the sites I link to in my speedlinks (especially in psyche/self) are showing up on the main page.
Your source for the newest and most popular news on better, healthier, greener living.
You can submit links to your own or anyone else's stories, add comments, and vote by clicking on the arrows, determining which submissions make the front page for everyone to see. Join today to get started!
You can submit links to your own or anyone else's stories, add comments, and vote by clicking on the arrows, determining which submissions make the front page for everyone to see. Join today to get started!
It's like Digg for the Lohas crowd. Check it out. A lot of the of the sites I link to in my speedlinks (especially in psyche/self) are showing up on the main page.
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Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Global Giving
The Kiva model is catching on, although this one makes more money for the people running the site than Kiva does.
Global Giving.
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Global Giving.
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Saturday, September 29, 2007
Insanely dangerous Himalayan plank path
The video quality isn't good, but you can get a sense of how freaky this path is.
via videosift.com
There's not enough anything in the world to make me walk that path.
via videosift.com
There's not enough anything in the world to make me walk that path.
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Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Compassionate Capitalism
Do you want to make the world a better place, one person at a time? Make a loan to a person who needs a little help and change that life forever. 99.7% of the loans made so far have been paid back in full.
Kiva
Kiva
We let you loan to the working poor
Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can "sponsor a business" and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates from the business you've sponsored. As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back.
We partner with organizations all over the world
Kiva partners with existing microfinance institutions. In doing so, we gain access to outstanding entrepreneurs from impoverished communities world-wide. Our partners are experts in choosing qualified borrowers. That said, they are usually short on funds. Through Kiva.org, our partners upload their borrower profiles directly to the site so you can lend to them.
We show you where your money goesKiva provides a data-rich, transparent lending platform for the poor. We are constantly working to make the system more transparent to show how money flows throughout the entire cycle. The below diagram shows briefly how money gets from you to a third-world borrower, and back!
We facilitate connections
Kiva is using the power of the internet to facilitate one-to-one connections that were previously prohibitively expensive. Child sponsorship has always been a high overhead business. Kiva creates a similar interpersonal connection at much lower costs due to the instant, inexpensive nature of internet delivery. The individuals featured on our website are real people who need a loan and are waiting for socially-minded individuals like you to lend them money.
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Thursday, August 16, 2007
Sad News In Tucson [Updated]
First Magnus Mortgage company has suspended home loans as of this morning. They are a victim of the fall-out from the American Home Mortgage collapse, which has resulted in many wholesale bankers withdrawing credit lines or making margin calls beyond what has been the standard.
The really crappy thing about all this, at the moment, is that the news was leaked by a low-level manager in the retail loan devision, so most people are finding about it by reading the front page of the paper this morning. That's a horrible way to find out that your future has become incredibly uncertain.
From what I understand, there is every likelihood that First Magnus will go into Chapter 11 to reorganize and ride out the market's credit fears, but that's conjecture on my part. First Magnus employs more than 800 people in Tucson and 5,000 people nationwide, including three of my clients.
My heart is with them and their families as they move through this trying period.
UPDATE: According to this morning's news, Countrywide, the nation's largest home lender, will be the next to fall, with expectations that they might file bankruptcy within the next week or two.
Fannie Mae, which is federally supported, also announced a 36% drop in earnings.
Things look bleak for the US economy.
The really crappy thing about all this, at the moment, is that the news was leaked by a low-level manager in the retail loan devision, so most people are finding about it by reading the front page of the paper this morning. That's a horrible way to find out that your future has become incredibly uncertain.
From what I understand, there is every likelihood that First Magnus will go into Chapter 11 to reorganize and ride out the market's credit fears, but that's conjecture on my part. First Magnus employs more than 800 people in Tucson and 5,000 people nationwide, including three of my clients.
My heart is with them and their families as they move through this trying period.
UPDATE: According to this morning's news, Countrywide, the nation's largest home lender, will be the next to fall, with expectations that they might file bankruptcy within the next week or two.
Fannie Mae, which is federally supported, also announced a 36% drop in earnings.
Things look bleak for the US economy.
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Friday, July 27, 2007
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Now That's More Like It
This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:
- dick (12x)
- death (5x)
- steal (3x)
- dangerous (2x)
- pain (1x)
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Friday, June 22, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Cool Site: Bookyards
I found this site by accident, while looking for ebooks on psychology. Bookyards wants to make ebooks (and information in general) freely available to anyone with an online connection.
Here is the main listing for philosophy, which has recently been expanded:
The philosophy page, like the psychology page that I visited (and I assume most other pages) has a basic outline of the history and major movements, with copious linkage to expanded info.
Definitely a new addition to my bookmarks.
Welcome to BookYards.com!
Our goal is to be "The Library To The World", in which books, education materials, information, and content will be provided freely to anyone who has an internet connection.
Bookyards has a total of 13,924 books, 38,297 web links, 4,197 news & blogs links, 384 videos and access to hundreds of online libraries (500,000 eBooks) for your reading pleasure.
We hope you enjoy it!
Here is the main listing for philosophy, which has recently been expanded:
eBooks:
View all 491 eBooks
The philosophy page, like the psychology page that I visited (and I assume most other pages) has a basic outline of the history and major movements, with copious linkage to expanded info.
Definitely a new addition to my bookmarks.
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Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Cool Site: Donors Choose
I came across a charity site that I saw on some news show this weekend (can't remember which one). The premise is that teachers around the country post requests for funding at Donors Choose, stuff they need but don't have the money from their school to do. So then we can go to the site, choose a project we want to support, and make a donation. Cool, huh?
Check it out -- education is one of the greatest needs in this country -- and we can make a difference.
onorsChooseSM is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. At this not-for-profit web site, teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals, whom we call Citizen Philanthropists, choose projects to fund.
Proposals range from "Magical Math Centers" ($200) to "Big Book Bonanza" ($320), to "Cooking Across the Curriculum" ($1,100). Any individual can search such proposals by areas of interest, learn about classroom needs, and choose to fund the project(s) they find most compelling. In completing a project, donors receive a feedback package of student photos and thank-you notes, a teacher impact letter, and an expenditure report showing that their tax-deductible gift was spent as directed.
Fulfilling Student Projects
Sustaining Operations
Spreading the Word
Teaching Students PhilanthropyDonorsChoose performs a good deal of work to ensure the integrity of its philanthropic marketplace. Here's how it works:
DonorsChoose works equally hard to strengthen the framework which enables citizen philanthropists to connect with classrooms in need. In order to ensure a secure, efficient, and effective exchange, we:
- Public school teachers create student project proposals at DonorsChoose.org. This consists of writing a one page essay and listing the exact resource(s) needed.
- DonorsChoose volunteers screen each project proposal before posting to the website. Volunteers verify that the teacher and project meet our eligibility requirements, emailing follow-up questions to the teacher if anything is unclear.
- Concerned individuals fund the student projects of their choice—in whole or in part—and are emailed immediate email gift acknowledgments from DonorsChoose which can be used for tax deduction purposes.
DonorsChoose emails the school principal, alerting him/her to the funded project.- Within the next week, DonorsChoose forwards the donor an "e-thank-you" from the teacher, which notes the date by which the donor can expect his/her full feedback package.
- DonorsChoose purchases the student materials and ships items directly to the school along with a disposable camera, guidelines for preparing feedback packages, and a stamped envelope in which to enclose the feedback.
- Students experience the project that the donor made possible! The teacher photographs the students participating in the project and writes an impact letter to the donor. Students write their own thank-you notes. This feedback is then mailed to DonorsChoose headquarters.
- DonorsChoose develops the photos, compiles the letter and thank-you notes, and prints an expenditure report detailing the purchase of student materials. This feedback is mailed to the donor(s) who completed the project or made a partial contribution of $100 or more.
Sustaining Operations
- Negotiate discounts and partnerships with vendors to get the best prices available.
- Continually upgrade our web technology to make DonorsChoose.org more user-friendly and effective for donors and teachers.
- Acquire and update databases of all the public schools in the regions we serve. We track everything from the principal's name to the number of students who receive free or reduced price lunch (a measure of poverty) to ensure the information we provide donors is accurate.
- Create community awareness about DonorsChoose to increase funding of student projects.
The price of a student project includes an optional fulfillment fee covering the work performed by DonorsChoose (see Fulfilling Student Projects). After clicking to fund a project, the donor may decide not to include this fulfillment fee. By choosing to include it, donors support the necessary resources—staff time, office space, and technology—to bring their chosen projects to life.
While the cost of fulfilling student projects remains the same, DonorsChoose offers a "scholarship" to higher need schools by discounting the fulfillment fee. Depending on the school's poverty level, fulfillment is assessed at 15%, 20%, or 25% of the project's cost. The vast majority of schools using DonorsChoose have high rates of poverty, so most proposals carry the 15% fulfillment fee.
Donors' inclusion of the fulfillment fee is essential to the existence and success of DonorsChoose. Thankfully, 90% of our contributors choose to include it, and income thus earned allows us to continue our work.
As more student projects are funded, and donors continue to include the fulfillment fee, DonorsChoose becomes increasingly self-sustaining. However, during this early stage in our growth, we also depend on grants and contributions to support our operation.
Check it out -- education is one of the greatest needs in this country -- and we can make a difference.
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Thursday, May 24, 2007
Quotes on Courage
The Positivity Blog posted some quotes on courage -- here are a couple of my favorites.
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.
Anais Nin
Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness.
Bertrand Russell
The best way out is always through.
Robert Frost
To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself.
Soren Kierkegaard
Trust the still, small voice that says, “this might work and I’ll try it.”
Diane Mariechild
The greatest test of courage on the earth is to bear defeat without losing heart.
R. G. Ingersoll
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Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Virginia Tech Shootings
I haven't said anything about this before because, well, I was just sitting with my emotions about it.
First of all, my buddy Jay (aka, The Zero Boss) nailed it yesterday as far as the commentary on this event goes.
Secondly, I am saddened that another human being could be so wounded that this act of violence might seem like a good option.
But mostly, I just feel pain for the victims' families and friends, for those wounded, and for those whose lives will be altered by this tragedy.
I simply desire to offer prayers of healing for those who lives have been impacted. May all involved find some peace and an end to their suffering.
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Monday, March 12, 2007
Neave Strobe
OK, I admit it -- I used to love entheogens when I was younger. One of the fun side effects was the visual distortion of ordinary things.
Well, now you can have a small dose of the distortion without any of that pesky mind-expansion. Check out the Neave Strobe. Click on the "click me to get trippy..." line and stare into the center of the strobe for 20-30 seconds and then look away.
Enjoy.
Well, now you can have a small dose of the distortion without any of that pesky mind-expansion. Check out the Neave Strobe. Click on the "click me to get trippy..." line and stare into the center of the strobe for 20-30 seconds and then look away.
Enjoy.
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Saturday, February 17, 2007
Programming Note
As you no doubt noticed (assuming you are a regular reader), there are no new posts this morning. I hope to post some things later today.
For now, all I have to say is . . . .
Life is good.
For now, all I have to say is . . . .
Life is good.
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